Leopold lall



GLASP-LOGK ron score, to.

LEOPOLD LALL, OF NEW YORK.

LetterePatent No. 60,017, dated November 27, 1866.

. SPECIFICATION TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN Be it known that I, LEOPOLD LAI IL, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and a useful improvement in Clasp-Lock for-Books, Portfolios, &c.; andI do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enableothers skilled in the arttomakeanduse the same,

reference being hadto the accompanying drawing, forming part of this. specification. v p p The drawing represents a side view of a book, with the cover partly in section, and having my invention applied to it. 1

This invention consists in applying a lock to a book-clasp, in such a manner that when the clasp is closed, 7

and the coversmf the book secured, so that the book will be in a closed state, the clasp will be locked and rendered incapable of being opened without the aid of a key. The object of the invention is to prevent-books being opened and their contents inspected by any except the proper persons; and it will prove to be a desirable device for account-books in counting-houses and other institutions, where curious visitors and' customers have frequently the opportunity of looking at accounts not designed for their inspection.

A represents one of the covers of a book, and B is a clasp secured to one of the covers, Dthe one not seen-e-by a hinge or joint, aslusual. The free. or disengaged end of the clasp B has ai hook a projecting from it at right angles, and this hook, when the book is closed, and the free or disengagedjend of the clasp pressed towards the edge of the cover, A, enters a recess in the edge of A, and engages with a hook b, at the outer end i of a lever C, which has a spring a bearing against it, said spring having a tendency tokeep the two hooks a b engaged with each other. T e lever C has a rod D connected to it by a pivot'c, which-rod extends nearly to i the edge of the cover A,- at one end of the book, the groove d, in which the rod D is fitted extending to their edge of the cover. In order to unlock the clasp B, a key E is pressed in the edge of the groove d, andthe rod D shoyed back, which actuates the lever O and disen gages the hook b from the hook a. I n closin g the clasp B, the hook a engages itself with hook b. Thus by this simple device the clasp will be locked whenever it is,

closed. The lever C and rod D are covered in the binding. The invention may be applied td any kind of book, portfolio, album, 860., which will admit of having a clasp attached. I

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- A' clasp for books, portfolios, albums, &c., having a lock appliedto it, and inserted in the binding sub stan-v tially as shown and described; i v

' LEOPOLD LALL. Witnesses:

M. M. Lrvnvcsron, ALEX. F. ROBERTS. 

